The Tree From Which They Hang
The Tree From Which They Hang is a case featured in Criminal Case, it appears as the second case in A World Forgotten and the one hundred and ninety-first overall. It takes place as the second case in the Oakenbrook district of Ravenedge. Plot Following a successful first investigation in Ravenedge, Lawrence was pouring himself a cup of tea when Charity informed them that a body had been found in Birchdale Road, and that they would be meeting Draco on the scene. At the crime scene, Draco looked up in fascination at the corpse of amateur filmmaker Gunther Harlington hanging from a tree, his eyes nothing but bloody pits and his body covered in pecking birds. Charity then recounted how the victim's neighbour had discovered his corpse after noticing he wasn't collecting his post. Draco then ascertained that Gunther had been dead for around a week and that a full autopsy was required to determine whether it was murder or suicide. Blood-stained, Moira determined that there were strange marks around the victim's neck but due to the damage caused by the noose, she was unable to identify them. They first spoke to the victim's neighbour, hustler Eva Newman, town crier Rick Dowry, and landowner Victor Havisham, who refused to speak to detectives who were below him. Then, Moira rushed in and detailed that she'd analysed the neck marks, insisting they'd got it wrong. Moira then detailed that she'd find fibres, different from the noose, around the victim's neck, and coupled with the strange marks on his neck, her best bet was that Gunther was strangled before hanged from the tree. Now classed as a murder investigation, they questioned the victim's understudy Aaron Travolta and hermit Pauline Sanders. It was also discovered that Gunther was an amateur thief, stealing silverware from Victor's home and breaking into Rick's in an attempt to steal his paintings. Then, Antonio rushed in and placed a hand on his chin, detailing how his "associates" had revealed Eva's plans to involve Gunther in one of her cons. They then hurried back to Eva's house to question her, but found her fleeing from the window. After she escaped, they found proof of Eva's criminal actions. With all said and done, it was time to the team to arrest a murderer who disguised a crime as suicide, with Aaron then being exposed for the crime. Aaron, when confronted, nervously waved off the accusations and started sweating, clutching his pen and paper shakily. As Lawrence pressed on and urged him to admit it so he could start writing the report sooner, Aaron then started trying to flee. When he approached the end of the road, Lawrence aimed his gun at the ground by Aaron's feet and fired, tripping Aaron over. The pair then handcuffed Aaron and Lawrence commended his effort, before asking why he killed Gunther. Aaron then tearfully confessed that Gunther was responsible for his father's death years back and deserved to die as payback. Aaron admitted that his father, who worked in a jewellery store, was confronted by a younger Gunther at gunpoint. Gunther then demanded all the jewellery in the store, but Aaron's father refused. The pair scuffled and Gunther shot Aaron's father in the chest before fleeing. Aaron recounted how he purposefully got the job as Gunther's understudy to get close to him, eventually strangling him and disguising the murder as a suicide when he got the chance. In court, the newly instated Judge Haddid sympathised with Aaron's motive but insisted they couldn't just have murderers walk the streets. She then sentenced Aaron to fifteen years in jail for the crime. Post-trial, Cornelius requested Sienna and the player's help in an urgent matter. Cornelius, who was clearing a soot stain of his coat, insisted that Gunther's amateur filmmaking left the inventing world abuzz due to him acquiring one of the cameras from the Lumiere brothers themselves, and requested their help in retrieving the camera before it was broken. Sienna, Cornelius and the player then returned to the victim's back garden and searched through his possessions for the camera, eventually finding it smashed on the ground. Knowing that it would be a huge loss for innovation, Sienna proposed that the trio repair the camera. After doing so, Cornelius analysed the camera and then recorded a five second shot of Sienna twirling, with Antonio applauding the work and prompting Sienna to smile. Meanwhile, Charity received reports of another robbery, this time at city hall, and headed out with the player to investigate. At the scene of the crime, they spoke to Mayor Ezekiel Havisham, Victor's brother, about the theft. Ezekiel then admitted that a series of confidential documents had been stolen out of his office. Beat cop Travis Widdecombe then insisted that witnesses spotted someone fleeing city hall and down Birchdale Road after the theft, prompting the pair to race there and find traces of a purchase at the potato stand. They then investigated the potato stand, where Rick Dowry told them that a woman, matching Eva's description had been at the potato stand before fleeing. They then put two and two together and worked out that Eva was likely behind the thefts of both the case files and confidential documents in Oakenbrook. As the team regrouped back in the sitting room of the precinct, Hope insisted that she'd gone around town and paid the homeless to keep an eye out for Eva. She then told them they'd spotted Eva hiding out by a small river on the outskirts of town, prompting the team to make their way there quickly to apprehend the thief. Summary Victim *'Gunther Harlington' (found dead in his back garden, his corpse hanging from a tree) Murder Weapon *'Rope' Killer *'Aaron Travolta' Suspects Suspect's Profile *The suspect plays dice games. *The suspect reads The Ravenedge Report. Suspect's Appearance *The suspect wears a brooch. Suspect's Profile *The suspect plays dice games. *The suspect uses mothballs. *The suspect reads The Ravenedge Report. Suspect's Appearance *The suspect has short hair. Suspect's Profile *The suspect plays dice games. *The suspect uses mothballs. *The suspect reads The Ravenedge Report. Suspect's Appearance *The suspect has short hair. Suspect's Profile *The suspect plays dice games. *The suspect uses mothballs. *The suspect reads The Ravenedge Report. Suspect's Appearance *The suspect has short hair. *The suspect wears a brooch. Suspect's Profile *The suspect plays dice games. *The suspect uses mothballs. *The suspect reads The Ravenedge Report. Quasi-Suspects Killer's Profile *The killer plays dice games. *The killer uses mothballs. *The killer reads The Ravenedge Report. *The killer has short hair. *The killer wears a brooch. Crime Scenes Steps Chapter 1 *Investigate Quant Back Garden. (Clues: Victim's Body, Gardening Equipment, Box of Mail; New Suspect: Eva Newman) *Examine Box of Mail. (Result: Unsent Letters) *Analyze Unsent Letters. (05:00:00; New Crime Scene: Birchdale Road) *Investigate Birchdale Road. (Clues: Broken Bell, Locked Briefcase) *Examine Broken Bell. (Result: Engraving) *Examine Engraving. (Result: R DOWRY; New Suspect: Rick Dowry) *Interrogate Rick on the death along Birchdale Road. *Examine Locked Briefcase. (Result: Sales Papers) *Examine Sales Papers. (Result: New Owner Identified; New Suspect: Victor Havisham) *Speak to Victor about purchasing Birchdale Road. *Ask Eva about how she found the body. *Examine Gardening Equipment. (Result: Flower Pin) *Analyze Flower Pin. (05:00:00; Attribute: The killer uses mothballs) *Autopsy Victim's Body. (18:00:00; Attribute: The killer plays dice games) *Go to Chapter 2. (No stars) Chapter 2 *Investigate Potato Stand. (Clues: Box of Potatoes, Compass, Newspaper Rack) *Examine Box of Potatoes. (Result: Prototype Script) *Analyze Prototype Script. (04:00:00; New Suspect: Aaron Travolta) *Speak to Aaron about working as the victim's understudy. (Attribute: Aaron uses mothballs) *Examine Compass. (Result: P SANDERS; New Suspect: Pauline Sanders) *Ask Pauline if she ever encountered the victim at the stand. (Attribute: Pauline plays dice games) *Examine Newspaper Rack. (Result: Circled Obituary) *Analyze Circled Obituary. (05:00:00; Attribute: The killer reads The Ravenedge Report; New Crime Scene: Victim's Front Garden) *Investigate Victim's Front Garden. (Clues: Dirt Pile, Faded Sketch) *Examine Dirt Pile. (Result: Silverware Stash) *Confront Victor about the silverware in Gunther's garden. (Attribute: Victor plays dice games, uses mothballs, and reads The Ravenedge Report) *Examine Faded Sketch. (Result: Sketch of Gunther's Crime) *Speak to Rick about sketching the victim's break-in. (Attribute: Rick plays dice games, uses mothballs, and reads The Ravenedge Report) *Go to Chapter 3. (No stars) Chapter 3 *Go to arrest Eva for her crimes. (Attribute: Eva plays dice games and reads The Ravenedge Report; New Crime Scene: Stand Sign) *Investigate Stand Sign. (Clues: Faded Script, Torn Film) *Examine Faded Script. (Result: Harsh Criticism) *Speak to Aaron about the victim's harsh criticism of his work. (Attribute: Aaron plays dice games and reads The Ravenedge Report) *Examine Torn Film. (Result: Film) *Analyze Film. (08:00:00) *Speak to Pauline about the victim portraying her as a monster. (Attribute: Pauline uses mothballs and reads The Ravenedge Report) *Investigate Hanging Tree. (Clues: Noose Cuttings, Pecked Flesh) *Examine Noose Cuttings. (Result: Hairs) *Analyze Hairs. (07:00:00; Attribute: The killer has short hair) *Examine Pecked Flesh. (Result: Markings) *Analyze Markings. (10:00:00; Attribute: The killer wears a brooch) *Take care of the killer now! *Go to What Comes Out When Night Falls (2/6). (No stars) What Comes Out When Night Falls (2/6) *See how you can assist Cornelius. (Reward: 20,000 Coins) *Investigate Quant Back Garden. (Clue: Broken Machinery) *Examine Broken Machinery. (Result: Old Camera) *Examine Old Camera. (Result: Inner Workings) *Analyze Inner Workings. (07:00:00) *Have Cornelius film with the camera. (Reward: Burger) *Talk to Mayor Havisham about the second robbery. *Investigate Birchdale Road. (Clue: Faded Receipt) *Examine Faded Receipt. (Result: Potato Stand Purchase) *Investigate Potato Stand. (Clue: Faded Scroll) *Examine Faded Scroll. (Result: Town Crier Scroll) *Question Rick on the purchase. (Reward: Victorian Hat) *Move onto a new crime! (1 star) Navigation Category:Oakenbrook Category:Cases in A World Forgotten Category:All Fanmade Cases